Public Associate Good 70/100

El Paso Community College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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El Paso, Texas

About El Paso Community College

Thinking about El Paso Community College, a college in Texas where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

El Paso Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in El Paso, Texas. It enrolls 24,214 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
18.9%
Net Price
$3,206
Median Earnings (10yr)
$35,212
Enrollment
24,214
Student : Faculty
22:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
70/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 24
Value 94
Affordability 72
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, El Paso Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $3,206 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$3,206
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
37%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
2%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,080
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$6,630
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,179
Books & Supplies
$1,291
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,455
Total Cost of Attendance
$13,337

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $2,509
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $2,792
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $5,298
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $7,892
  • Over $110,000
    $9,353

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,606
10% percentile
$2,250
25% percentile
$6,566
Median percentile
$9,500
75% percentile
$18,400
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $5,250 ↓ $1,316
No Pell $4,500 ↓ $2,066
Dependent students $4,000 ↓ $2,566
Independent students $8,000 ↑ $1,434
Female students $5,250 ↓ $1,316
Male students $4,600 ↓ $1,966
Pell recipients: 16.6% (1,091 students)No Pell: 14.2% (935 students)Dependent students: 12.7% (831 students)Independent students: 25.3% (1,662 students)Female students: 16.6% (1,091 students)Male students: 14.6% (956 students)Overall Median$6,566
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $4,750, close to what completers borrow ($6,566) but without the degree to show for it.

Graduation Rate & Retention

19% of students who start here finish within six years, and 63% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
19%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
63%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $35,212 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$35,212
Earning > $25K
59%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$28,000$30,000$32,000$34,000$36,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$26,600

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$38,900

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$30,600

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$34,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$38,200

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $12,300, about 32% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 11.2 pts across 6 years
50.2%1yr52.8%3yr57.9%5yr61.4%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 61% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 24,214 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 49% are the first in their family to go to college, and 69% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
24,214
Part-Time
69%
First-Generation
49%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 80.2% 19,420
White 4.5% 1,099
Black 1.5% 370
International 1.1% 266
Other 0.6% 155
Asian 0.6% 153
Hispanic: 80.2% (19,420 students)White: 4.5% (1,099 students)Black: 1.5% (370 students)International: 1.1% (266 students)Other: 0.6% (155 students)Asian: 0.6% (153 students)Total24,214

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at El Paso Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City El Paso, Texas
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
16% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

El Paso Community College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 81 distinct programs across 26 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program
13 Programs
11 Programs
7 Programs
1 Program
7 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 22 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
22:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$2,934
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$32M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,261
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

406 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 165 41% $70,333
Associate Professors 75 18% $55,475
Assistant Professors 65 16% $51,820
Lecturers 81 20% $48,176
No Rank 20 5% $51,186

Pros & Cons of El Paso Community College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where El Paso Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Open admissions
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
  • Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
  • Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for: Based on the data, El Paso Community College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about El Paso Community College

The questions families ask most about El Paso Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is El Paso Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. El Paso Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at El Paso Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does El Paso Community College cost?
Budget around $3,206 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is El Paso Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $35,212 a year against a net price of $3,206, about 11.0 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is El Paso Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Criminal Justice. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do El Paso Community College graduates earn?
About $35,212 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is El Paso Community College accredited?
Yes. El Paso Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend El Paso Community College?
24,214 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at El Paso Community College?
19% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is El Paso Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is El Paso Community College located?
El Paso Community College is located in El Paso, Texas.
What programs does El Paso Community College offer?
81 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Criminal Justice. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at El Paso Community College?
22 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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